Volusia County Deputies Come To Negotiation Table Hoping For Higher Pay

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Volusia County, FL - Volusia County Deputies will be back at the negotiation table on Tuesday to discuss pay.

The negotiating session between the Volusia County Deputies Association (VCDA) and Volusia County will be held at 1:30 PM at the Volusia United Educators building, 1381 Educators Rd., in Daytona Beach.

Two resignations were announced in the past week, meaning the Volusia County Sheriff's Office now has 50 vacant deputy positions... but very few qualified candidates are submitting applications. During the last hiring cycle, as the Sheriff's Office was trying to fill 30 vacancies, only 3 quality candidates were found out of 27 applicants.

Brodie Hughes, who's the President of the VCDA, says the main complaint amongst current and resigning deputies is a lack of competitive pay and pay compression. “If our agency continues to hemorrhage at this rate, it is only a matter of time before it costs someone their life,” said Hughes. Hughes says many issues will be discussed during negotiations, but the "number one topic of discussion will be pay."

Several months ago the VCDA commissioned a wage comparison using 14 other Sheriff's Offices from around the state. According to the VCDA, the comparison showed that VCSO not only trails behind similar-sized counties like Seminole and Brevard, it's also behind smaller counties like Flagler, Osceola, and Pasco. The study also showed that Volusia County is failing to remain competitive by not offering long-term wage plans.

VCDA says in Tuesday's meeting they'll bring forward a pay plan that addresses compression, makes Volusia County more competitive, and rewards deputies for their "selfless sacrifice to the community."

Photo courtesy ShaunWilkinson and Shutterstock.com.

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